“DO YOU SEE HIM? HUH? DO YOU SEE HIM?!”
Jeff waited anxiously for the screaming to begin, the sounds that would confirm that yes, he had been right, and yes, he wasn’t crazy…
But the screaming never started. Just silence as the seven heads v-e-e-e-e-ry slowly reemerged from beneath the table, all with concerned looks on their faces. Even Brian and Davey.
Elise tried to look at him kindly…but she didn’t do too good a job of hiding her nervousness.
“Jeff…there’s nothing there.”
Jeff stared at her in horror.
“Dammit, he disappeared again!” and he jerked his head back under the table.
There sat the chubby kid, merrily licking eggs and bacon grease from his fat little fingers.
“NO, HE’S STILL HERE!” Jeff shouted. “LOOK, LOOK, QUICK QUICK LOOK!”
Nobody’s head was reappearing underneath the table, though.
Jeff pulled his own head back out. Everyone was staring at him.
“LOOK – FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, LOOK!” he yelled at them.
They all sat there frozen, unsure of what was going on. The only sure thing was that they were definitely not looking under that table again.
Jeff peeked under the table.
The chubby little kid waved at him before shoving his mouth full of pancakes.
“DAMMIT, THERE HE IS! LOOK AT HIM!” Jeff commanded.
Grandmother Tanner’s steeliness served her well when everyone else was too shocked to talk.
“Jeffrey, stop this right now!” she demanded.
“But…but he’s right there…right under the table…” Jeff said forlornly. “If you’d just look…”
The chubby little kid just sat there snorting with glee as he continued to stuff his face.
Jeff looked down at him, then up at the fearful eyes around him. Davey and Brian were open-mouthed; Elise was ashen with fear; Granny Jobson looked very concerned. Nana just looked perplexed (as always). Grandmother and Grandfather Tanner seemed more embarrassed than alarmed that their son was having a nervous breakdown.
Jeff didn’t really doubt his own sanity. Well, he did and he didn’t…because he was still convinced there was a kid under that table. What didn’t make sense was how it got there, and how no one else could see it, but Jeff was positive there was a chubby little kid on the floor who had stolen the flower centerpiece.
But everyone else thought he was crazy.
Maybe it was his mother’s influence, but Jeff was bothered more by everyone else’s opinion than by the question of whether that opinion might be right.
Jeff dropped the tablecloth, and made himself laugh. “…ha…ha…”
It was hollow and fake, so he stopped, then tried again. “Ha ha ha ha…” A bit more natural. “Hahahahaha…you thought I really thought I saw a fat little kid under the table stealing our food? You believed me?”
The group looked at each other warily. The very faintest of smiles began to pop up here and there, although it was impossible to tell if they were Oh…it was a joke smiles or if they were of the Oh God he’s starting again variety.
<< previous page | next page >>
Copyright © 2008 Darren Pillsbury. All rights reserved.
No comments:
Post a Comment